Logo Design: The Balance of Font, Shape and Color

“Define clearly the focus of your own business (or your clients). When designing a logo there are a few key questions that you need to answer:

What is the business all about? Is it a business that needs to convey a message of trust? Is it more of a friendly and playful company? What products and services does the business offer? What is the target audience?

Once you can answer those questions and you have reviewed the logos of your competition it’s time to think about designing.

With this level of research, planning and visualizing, you can get to the point that you actually know what your logo should look like.

Although content has always been considered the be the “king” when it comes to writing compelling web material, with the rapidly increasing numbers of websites “out there”, never has it been so vitally important to make your content better that of your competition, so it pays to take the time to create high quality articles that visitors truly want to read.

Forget about taking shortcuts; no matter what niche or business you are in, the quality of your articles, posts & sales material will always be the key to a successful online venture.

To write content that really conveys the message you want to get across, take note of these 5 key factors:

Make It Easy To Read

Keep that in mind many people skim-read webpages. Your target readers are probably subscribed to several news feeds or blogs, so if you want to hold their interest, you need to make your content easy to read.

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Remember readers like white space, so use short paragraphs and bullet points or numbered lists with subheadings. Use web recommended fonts because research has shown them to be the most easily read by the majority of readers. A particular font might appeal to you, but that doesn’t mean it will have universal appeal or be easily read by others, especially those with poorer eyesight.

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Add graphics to your articles where that is appropriate as this makes the structure of your post more visually appealing and helps to keep your article focused on the point you want to get across.

Good Quality Material

While it is true that you can get articles written very cheaply when you don’t want (or don’t have time) to write them yourself and also true that some so-called “gurus” claim to still make money using poorly written articles, these guru’s may well have a very large list of people who will buy whatever they recommend, regardless of quality.

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Therefore, it isn’t a good idea for you to do what they do because you want to build a good reputation for yourself, build your business so that your readers and customers see you as a quality provider and will be more interested in your next offer. Remember, it is easier to sell something to an existing customer than it is to find a new one.

Be Natural

Don’t try to fill your article with keywords; make your sentences flow in a clear, informative and entertaining manner. Search engines have evolved to the point where you will be penalised for overuse of keywords, rather than rewarded in the rankings.

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The best advice is to stop worrying about keywords. If you are answering the questions your searchers are asking then the keywords will come into the content naturally.

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Of course you can add some in on purpose after the article is finished, but in a way that does not upset the flow. Keywords should be secondary to creating an article that’s interesting and informative.

A comfortable Length

There may be accepted “rules” as to how long your online articles should be, but every article and every subject is different, so use your common sense about it.

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Imagine that you are the person searching for your content; ask yourself if you could find the answer to what you want to know in just 100 – 150 words? If the answer to this is “yes”, then 100 -150 words is long enough! The key is to use as many words as are required to address the subject without getting off track or including unnecessary detail and very often, that will require a lot more than 100 words.

Current

Most online content becomes out of date and needs updating from time to time. Yes, some things don’t change much over time, like how to grow vegetables or recipes, so articles about these subjects are considered “evergreen” because they are still relevant long after being written. However, just because they are still relevant doesn’t mean you can re-hash them without penalty from the search engines.

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Remember that Google, Bing and the like are businesses too, trying to please their customers (searchers) so they will reward those who upload content that is fresh, up to date and original. It pays to take advantage of this fact by keeping on top of your industry and keeping your readers informed.

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It is a mistake to take shortcuts when it comes to high quality content. In the long term, it is well worth the time and effort it takes to write material that will convince your reader to take action and join your list or buy whatever you are offering.

Fear has motivated people to start saving more, but here are two positive ways to upgrade savings
Planning for retirement boosts savings dramatically” – the planning process gives them positive goals for retirement
Putting eggs in more than one basket produces far higher returns” …. “opening more channels for collecting funds has a positive effect on the amount people save”

We all experience bloggers block from time to time, but don’t let it stop you from giving your subscribers the content they’ve been waiting for.

Here are 7 ideas that will help you come up with blog posts worth reading.

1) Test or Review Something And Post Your Results

If you’re really stuck for ideas, why not give yourself a challenge and post the results? For example, in the personal development niche this could mean making a gratitude list each day and writing about the effects. Or you could try a new fitness program and write about how you’re dealing with it. In most cases, readers in any niche love to read real life case studies!

2) Google It!

Why not Google the main topic of your blog and see what appears? You don’t want to copy any other blogs, of course, but one idea will often lead to another. Have a read around blogs in your niche – maybe even blogs outside of your niche – and see what they’re writing about. Either use this as inspiration for your own topics or write a direct response to what’s already out there.

3) Find Helpful or Interesting Videos & Share Them With Your Readers

Why not get surfing YouTube and see if there’s an interesting video you can share with your subscribers? Embed the video into a post where you give your own personal comments. This is a super-fast way to come up with content that’s still interesting.

4) Use What Happens In Your Daily Life As Inspiration

You might not be writing a personal blog, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring personal experience into the posts you write. If you can relate personal experience to the topics you write about, then do so. Sometimes you have to get creative, but your blog posts will be more interesting as a result!

5) Ask Readers To Ask Questions

What better way of coming up with content that your readers will enjoy than to invite them to ask questions? Write up a quick post one day asking them what they want to know, then post a follow up a few days later with all the answers. This last method is also an excellent way to connect with your audience.

6) Give Your Readers a Poll to Participate In.

Not everyone will ask questions, but if you give your readers a short, relevant poll to complete you can get some great feedback

7) Check Your Analytics to see what people are typing in their searches

Checking your stats can leave you with a whole range of blog post ideas. Take a look at the keywords people are typing in to find your site. Chances are that some of the things they’re searching for aren’t on your blog yet. Why not use these keywords as ideas for future blog posts? You’ll also have the added benefit of knowing there’s a future audience for those posts!

With so many money making opportunities available it can be difficult to choose the one that is right for your needs.

The first thing you need to decide on is what you are actually looking for in an online business.

Do you want to replace your current full-time job or business or just earn some extra retirement or rainy day money.

It’s important to recognize your own needs so you can match opportunities to meet those needs the best.

What you will be looking for will be different depending on what you’re after. There are various business models to consider, E-commerce, network marketing, affiliate marketing, among others.

To help you find a model or system that will provide what you need and want in an internet business it’s a good idea to write down a list of questions you need answers for, such as these:

* How long has this system or program been operating?
* Does it have potential for long-term profitability?
* Who or what is the target audience?
* How quickly will this system start bringing in an income?
* What sort of profit could you expect to make with this program in the first six months?

It’s best not to choose an opportunity because a friend, relative or co-worker has a successful website. Each person’s needs and expertise are different, so the right program will not be the same for every person.

Once you assess your needs and what you have to achieve from a money making website you are ready to review the opportunities available out there. While you don’t have to choose an existing system, looking at what is available will help you select something you would like to do.

It will also assist your assessment of what you need to learn or do to turn your idea of a highly profitable money making website that will help you meet your financial needs into a reality.

Always remember that any business requires some hard work and a time commitment; if an advertised system promises you will make thousands of dollars almost overnight, then be very wary of it.